The coolest tech startups at SXSW Eco

Open Water Foundation

The Open Water Foundation is a Colorado-based nonprofit that aims to provide an open source platform for organizations so that they can make better decisions about water. The idea for OWF came out of the fact organizations want to base their decisions based on data and science, but most analytical programs are cost-prohibitive. OWF won the social impact nonprofit category for the startup showcase at SXSW Eco.

Image: OWF

Drinkwell

Drinkwell won the social impact for profit category at SXSW Eco's startup showcase. The company wants to revolutionize the water system by providing water filtration systems and entrepreneurial business approaches to developing nations. They provide the technology and the business education so that communities can customize their solutions. Drinkwell has deployed 200 projects in India, Cambodia, and Laos.

Image: Drinkwell

Picasolar

Picasolarinvented a solar efficiency process that uses Hydrogen Super Emitter (HSE), which increases solar cell conversion efficiency. It is cheaper and increases the wattage produced. The company is third-party validated. It tied with PAX Pure for greentech category of SXSW Eco's startup showcase.

Image: Picasolar

PAX Pure

PAX Pure uses thermal water purification, a new type of desalination process. The water can be distilled at low temperatures, so it can use low-cost or free heat from the sun or waste heat from industrial processes. The company won the SXSW Eco startup showcase greentech category.

Image: PAX Pure

Lagoon

Lagoon, based out of Cincinnati, Ohio, is a startup dedicated to monitoring and reducing home water use. The company won the SXSW Eco startup showcase cleanweb category. Lagoon has a sensor that straps around your main home water pipe, which fits most types. The info syncs with a mobile app that shows you your water usage, spikes, and how to reduce your waste. The system is available for pre-order.

Image: Lagoon

Monarchy

The World Wildlife Fund held a hackathon at SXSW Eco to build tools that will engage the public in monarch butterfly conservation, using data provided by Monarch Joint Venture. The winner was Monarchy, which is an app that maps where monarchs are located. Anyone can upload data from where they are, and the platform also mines information from social media and the internet to locate and track monarch migrations.

Image: Kenneth Dwain Harrelson/Wikimedia Commons

Crowd Comfort

This startup offers crowdsourced energy maintenance solutions by giving building owners, operators, and occupants a way to share information regarding maintenance and safety issues, as well as overall temperature in the building. Crowd Comfort allows people to point to areas where energy savings could be made or improved. It was a finalist in the cleanweb category at SXSW Eco.

Image: Crowd Comfort

CitySprout

CitySprout was a semifinalist in the cleanweb category of SXSW Eco's startup showcase. The startup allows people to simply sign up to find local food that's available, so that they can connect with local farmers.

Image: CitySprout

Valor Water Analytics

Valor Water Analytics was a finalist in the cleanweb startup showcase at SXSW Eco. The company allows utilities to harness the power of their data so they can reduce water usage and be more sustainable. The platform monitors and analyzes data from water companies to identify anomalies

Image: Valor Water Analytics

Effortless Energy

Effortless Energyis a Chicago startup that presented during the startup showcase at SXSW Eco. The company pays for smart home upgrades like better insulation and sealing air leaks, then splits the energy savings with homeowners.

Open Water Foundation

The Open Water Foundation is a Colorado-based nonprofit that aims to provide an open source platform for organizations so that they can make better decisions about water. The idea for OWF came out of the fact organizations want to base their decisions based on data and science, but most analytical programs are cost-prohibitive. OWF won the social impact nonprofit category for the startup showcase at SXSW Eco.

Image: OWF

About Lyndsey Gilpin

Lyndsey Gilpin is a former Staff Writer for TechRepublic, covering sustainability and entrepreneurship. She's co-author of the book Follow the Geeks.